In September 2022, the Rehabilitation Services Administration awarded five-year grants for Disability Innovation Fund demonstration projects. A part of the Subminimum Wage to Competitive Integrated Employment (SWTCIE) program, these federal FY2022 grants provided funding to 14 state vocational rehabilitation agencies to implement Innovative Model Demonstration projects. These projects aim to decrease subminimum wage employment and increase competitive integrated employment for people with disabilities currently employed in or contemplating subminimum wage employment. This Mathematica brief explores how SWTCIE projects engage people with disabilities and lived experience through communities of practice, stakeholder groups, and mentoring programs.

The American Public Human Services Association will release a three-part series on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) case processing. This brief explores how AI is currently used, and how it might be used in the future, to support administrative actions that agency staff complete when processing customers’ SNAP cases. This brief was informed by input from APHSA’s wide network of state, county, and city members and national partners in the human services and related sectors.

The COVID-19 pandemic upended society physically, socially, emotionally, and for many, economically. Early childhood home visiting programs were able to help families with economic issues but also faced challenges in doing so. Early childhood home visiting programs had to shift from in-person home visits to virtual visits and adapt planned content to serve families with pressing economic needs. Home visiting staff also had to contend with their own pandemic-related challenges, including stress, isolation, and the logistics of caring for their own families while trying to support the families they served. This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation report examines the economic experiences of families with children ages birth to 5, families, or pregnant family members during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as how select early childhood home visiting programs supported families’ economic well-being during the pandemic.

All states may choose to allocate a portion of their Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) dollars to support fatherhood work. Despite this funding opportunity, very few states have taken advantage of it. States may have other priorities for the use of their TANF dollars, decision makers may not be aware of all the benefits of father involvement for child wellbeing, or TANF program leaders may have limited knowledge about the components of fatherhood programs and how to start/maintain fatherhood programming. This National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse spotlight demystifies the process for using TANF funds to support fatherhood programming and looks at how Ohio has used their state TANF funds to support father-related services through the Ohio Commission on Fatherhood (OCF). The spotlight details the history of how OCF was established, how it works to meet four specific goals, and how its work throughout the state addresses two of the four purposes of the TANF legislation.

The Center for Advancing Policy on Employment for Youth (CAPE-Youth) is hosting a webinar on April 8, 2024 from 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET to provide an overview of CAPE-Youth's new mental health policy brief. Speakers from the White House Domestic Policy Council and state governments will highlight ways that policymakers can:

• Expand culturally responsive mental health care;
• Increase access to mental health supports; and
• Embed mental health programs and supports into workforce systems.

The Rehabilitation Research and Training Center at Virginia Commonwealth University is launching a Native Outreach webinar series entitled “Voicing Resiliency: State Vocational Rehabilitation Best Practices with Indigenous Communities.” The first webinar will take place on April 3, 2024 from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. ET and will feature Jim Warne and Treva Roanhorse. The speakers will provide insight into the culture surrounding Indigenous Disability and discuss the history of Indigenous Disability services in Indian Country throughout the past and into the present.

To boost the economy and create conditions for equitable economic advancement for all, employers must focus on the recruitment, retention, and advancement of Black working moms and other populations facing systemic barriers. This Jobs for the Future resource highlights challenges impacting Black working mothers in the workplace along with opportunities for support.

This American Institutes for Research infographic presents data that highlights how states are making an impact in growing and diversifying Registered Apprenticeship Programs. It presents an overview of current federal funding to states to support apprenticeship expansion, including a map of the number of active grants in each state and territory. It also identifies states that are leading the way in registering new apprentices, increasing the percentage of apprentices in the overall labor force, and expanding apprenticeship in new industries.

March is Women’s History Month and this Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) resource highlights women’s roles in human services programs and shares OPRE’s projects that are helping to build evidence on the human services workforce. The resource includes early care and education, home visiting, head start, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.

Chapin Hall and the American Public Human Services Association co-hosted a webinar on March 21, 2024 where they presented findings from their national survey of child welfare leaders. Presenters included the team that created and conducted the survey as well as the Acting Commissioner / Executive Deputy Commissioner for the New York State Office of Children and Families, who discussed barriers in aligning across human service agencies to better support families.